Just one poignant thought (though not related directly to anything that you are likely to blog about tomorrow):

If anyone loves baseball, they will take a moment to reflect tomorrow, and contast the steroid soaked scandals that we've seen recently, full of owners, players and players union execs who don't seem to give a darn about anything except $$$, to the 35th anniversary tomorrow of the death of the exact opposite of all of that, Roberto Clemente. Though Clemente was a great player without a doubt (who ironically just missed making the all-Century team because of all the media hype on Pete Rose, another scandal-tinged player), he was a greater Man.

Clemente's most famous quote was,

"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth."

And he didn't just say it, he lived it. The tragic circumstances of his death are well known by now, but it is worth noting that it happened on New Year's Eve, a night when virtually anyone else would have been at home relaxing and enjoying the celebration. But celebrating when others were suffering was not something that Roberto Clemente would do.

The great thing about Clemente is his character came through in everything he did, including playing ball. He was a magnificent player, but that's not all he was. His demeanor on the field was the kind of thing a kid would want to imitate.

Contrast that with Barry Bonds, who plays with zero grace, always looks unhappy, his smile forced, and his body language in the outfield that of someone who is shutting out the contempt he hears (or imagines he hears) from the fans.

How soon they forget...I think Clemente was a great person and player, but we have forgotten how much criticism and abuse he took in his day, very similar to a number of players today. Of course, the way in which he died obliterates the memory of all that... we often forget the good that people do while they're living, in exchange for overfull praise for them when they are gone.